Intermittent feeding mechanism for motion-picture machines.



L; E. TAYLOR.

INTERMITTENT FEEDING MECHANISM FOR MOTION PICTURE MACHHVES.

APPLICATION FI LED MAR 14, 1916.

Patented Sept. 26, 1916. v

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

B Y HIS A TTORNE 43 INVENTOR L. E. TAYLOR.

- INTERMITTENT FEEDING MECHANISM FOR MOTION PICTURE MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I4, 1915.

1 1 9 9,22 1 Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Winnin 13 H flttoz ets: I

35 a be in a certain position relative to the aperunrrnn srarns rarnn'r onrion LUTHER E. TAYLOR, OF WEST NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T K-T FIL'M COMPANY INCORPORATED, OF WEST NEW'YORK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORA- TION. OF NEW JERSEY.

INTEBMITTENTL FEEDING MECHANISM FOR MOTION-PICTURE MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent. I

Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

Application filed. March .14, 1916. Serial No. 851,000.

- T 0 all whom iimay concern Be it known that I, Ln'rrrun E. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, residing at West New York, in the county of Hudson, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Intermittent Feeding Mechanism for ltIotion-Pi'cture Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to moving picture machines and it is adaptablefor use in a machine for the taking of moving pictures and also in a machine for the projecting of moving pictures. It will be manifest that a machine for taking moving pictures and a machine for projecting moving pictures can be embodied, if desired, in the same structure. 1

In moving picture machines, that is in machines for the taking of moving pictures or machines. for the projecting of moving 'magazine or reel a filni is passed from one storage to another over suitable guides which bring successive portions of the film into operative relationship with the aperture of a face plate.

The object of the present pictures,

invention is to avoid the necessity of perforations in the film and to provide a suitable means for feeding the film; and this .is accomplished through the medium of a reciprocating gripping mechanism that is intermittently operated by means hereinafter described.

In theprojecting of pictures it is necessary that a certain portion of the film shall ture of the face plate, otherwise the picture projected on the screen will not be properly framed; ,With a gripping jaw mechanism it is difiic'ult to predetermine the exact movement of a long. film, due to varying conditions, and in order that the picture will be properly framed the apertured plate is, made a part of what will hereinafter be referred to as an adjustable framing device.

One object of the present invention is to provide a commercial and practical'interfilm from one operative position relative to the apertured plate to" another whereby successive portions of the. film can bebrought, as desired, into operative position rel ti e portion of and F are to the apertured plate and lenses associated panying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which drawings,

Figure 1 is an end view of the forward end of the machine with the front cover removed. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the machine and is a view taken as on the plane indicated by the line 2-2 Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the machine and'is a view taken as on the plane indicated by the line 3-3 Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 is. a view illustrating the construction of the framing device including the apertured face plate and film guide rollers. Fig, 5 is a transverse sectional view of the framing device taken as on the plane indicated by the line 5-5 in Fig. 4: looking in the direc- .tion of the arrows. Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken as on the plane indicated by the line 6-6 in-Fig. 4 looking in the direction of thearrows.

Fig. 7 1s a vertical sectional view of the film gripper and the means for actuating the same; The structure shown in this figure is on a somewhat larger scale than the same structure as shown in Fig. 2. r t v The casing of the moving picture machine is designated by A andiis substantially in the form of an inclosing box having a vertically but longitudinally extending partition B that separates the operating mecha-.

nism in compartment C from the compart* ments containing the lenses and the film. The box is furthermore provided with a transverse partition D that separates the compartment E at the forward portion of the box from the compartment F at the rear the box. The compartments E the compartments within which the lenses and the film are located.

The-partition D has thereupon'the framing device 1 which includes the apertured face plate 2 and the mechanism constituting .the film gripper 3 whereby the film G can be propelled along the apertured face plate 2.

The moving picture machine is provided with a source of light H, condensing lenses .7 and objective lenses K, the latter of which are secured to the ap'ertured faceplate 2. \Vhen the machine is in operation the film G passeslfrom the magazine storage reel L to the magazine or receiving reel M. When the machine is being used as a projecting machine the source of light H and the con- (lensing-lenses J are necessarily employed.

' If, however, the machine is to be merely a camera then the condensing lenses J and source of light H can be omitted. The source of light H and the condensing lenses J are preferably included within a metal box or frame N which serves to prevent the leakage of any light from within the compartment containing the source of light to" the rest of the camera and .also serves to protect the film from heat from the source of light. hereinafter appear, is movably mounted so that it will properly frame a picture when the machine is being used as a projecting The manner in wh1ch this is accomplished will hereinafter be described.

machine.

more in detail. The film passing from the storage reel L first passes over a guide roller 4, is pressed against the rear side of the face plate by means of the spring pressed guide rollers 5 and 6 and finally passes over the guide roller 7 from whence it passes to the storage reel M.

It is necessary to obtain an intermittent movement of the film. so as to propel successive portions of the film into operative relation in respect to theapertureof the face plate. This is accomplished by means of the film gripper 3 heretofore referred to. The film gripper 3 which is in fact a film feeding device comprises a movable carriage 8 having guides or guide members 9 that slide the carriage 8.

along the guideways 10. These guideways lO are shown as being in the form of rods which are held in place on the partition D bymeans of brackets 11 and 12. The carriage 8 is normally maintained in its upper position by means of the tension spring 13 one end ofwhich is secured to the carriage and the other end of which is secured to the upper bracket 12. The film extends along a side, 14., of this carriage. A jaw 15 is pivotally mounted at its lower end at 16 on This jaw 15 has an H- shaped extension 17 which is provided at its upper free end with a roller 18. This roller 18, which serves as an anti-friction member,

is engaged by the working faces 19' of a cam 20 that rotates in the direction of the arrow 21. As the cam surface. 19, pressesagainst the roller 18 the upper free end of the H'- shaped extension will be forced outwardly away from the movable carriage 8. a suffi- The apertured face plate 2 as will cient distance to cause the gripiping jaw 15 to engage the film W-ithf su cient force whereby the latter will be gripped between the jaw 15 and the carriage 8. The further movement of the cam will necessarily force the extension 17 doW'nwardlyas the upper heavy and consequently during the upward movement the jaw will be caused to swing away from the film. It will thus be noted that a continuous movement of the, shaft carrying the cam will e'fle'ct an intermittent feeding of the film from one operative position to the next. The continuous movement of the cam 20 is accomplished through the medium of the main driving shaft 23 (see Figs. 2 and 3) and the gears 24., 25, the former of which-gear 24:-1S secured to the main driving shaft and the latter of whichgear 25-is secured to the shaft 26 upon which the cam 20 is mounted.

In order to insure the winding of the film.

G upon the. storage'magazi'ne or receiving reel M after the film has passed the feeding or gripping device 3 there is provided a take-up belt 27 that passes .over a grooved pulley 28 that is oaths main shaft and over a grooved pulley-'29 that is on the shaft 30 which turns "in the storage magazine M.

In machines of the class described it is necessary to employ a shutter which is open at the time thefilm is at rest and vwhich is closed when the film is in motion, and this is true whether the machine is being employed as a camera or as a projecting machine. It is therefore advisable that the shutter be operated in unison with the gripping device 3. A shutter which operates in the manner just described is designated by O. This shutter is carried on the shaft 31 which. has a bevel-gear 32 that meshes with the bevel-gear 33. The gear 33 is on the shaft 34 having a spur-gear 36 that is driven from the gear 24 on the main driving shaft 23. It will therefore be seen that'the shutter can be and in fact is timed so that it will be open when thegripping meansS is not operating to move the film G; in other words, when the film is at rest, and

that it is also timed so asto be closed when the gripping means 3 is propelling the film along the apertured plate 2. When the machine is being used as a camera the aper; ture'd plate 2 does not have to be adjustable;

when, however, the machine isbeing used as a projecting machine, then it is necessary to have the apertured plate 2 adjustable, that is movable up and down orv in other words along or longitudinal of. the film in order that the picture projected upon the screen will be properly framed. In other words this apertured plate must be mounted so that it can be moved a limited distancealong the film in order that the desired portion of the film will be exposed to the light rays.

In order that the objective lenses will be properly centered relative to the aperture in the face plate it is necessary that the objective lenses move with the apertured plate 'and for this reason the casing of the lenses has been mounted directly upon said plate. The apertured plate 2, as heretofore indicated, is mounted upon the transverse partition D and is held in place on'said partition by means of guideways 37. It is adjusted up and down by means of a knob 38 that is secured to the shaft 39 upon which is located the gear 40 that meshes with the rack 4:1 on the face plate. It will thus be manifest that by merely turning the knob 38 the desired film with the face plate. While part of the guide rollers have been described as being mounted upon the partition and part upon I the apertured plate still-it will be manifest that they could all have been mounted upon the partition or all upon the apertured plate, this being merely a question of design.

From an inspection of the drawings and from what has preceded it will be'observed that the .setof condensing lenses J have a horizontally extending focal axis and that they are arranged in the path of the rays of light which are emittedfrom the source of light H. The objective lenses K also have a horizontally extending focal axis. The condensing lenses J -may be referred to as relatively stationary lenses since it is not necessary to adjustthese lenses transversely relative to their focal axis during the opera. tion of the machine. The set of objective lenses, however, and also the aperture in the plate are movable up and down, that is j transversely relative to the focal axis of the condensing lenses. In other words, successive portions of the film are moved longitudinally downwardly across the condensed.

- downwardly,

light emitted from the condensing lenses,

and the objective lenses and the aperture in 4 the plate are moved or adjusted along or' longitudinal of'thefilm in order to properly frame the picture which is caused to be exposed by the gripping mechanism positioning or moving successive portions of the film It has heretofore been pointed out that with a gripping jaw mechanism it is diflicult to predetermine the exact movement of a long film due to varying conditions and in order that the picture will be properly framed the apertured plate has been made movable or adjustable as above i described. In order that there will be a proper definition in the projected picture the objective lenses have been connected to theapertured plate so that the objectivelenses will always move with the plate and thus be in froht of the aperture in the plate.- The objective lenses, however, could be made independent of the apertured plate provided some means were employed whereby the objective lenses could be properly positioned as the plate is positioned. I

Theirnprovements herein set forth, are not limited to the precise construction and arrangement shown and described for they may be embodied in various forms and modifications without departing from, the

spirit and scope of the invention.

.Nhat I claim is: 1. A moving picture machine of the class described having in combination with a pot .tion of the frame a carriage movable on guideways on said frame, a. grip ingjaw movable toward said carriage to lm pping position and awayfrom said carriage to a position where the jaw does not grip the a film, an extension carried by the pivoted jaw member and a cam engaging the free end of 1 said extension in a manner to cause the jaw" to move toward the carriage and in a manner to force the aw. and carriage along the .guideways while the .jaw and carriage are gripping the film between them whereby the film will be moved by the movement which is imparted to the carriage. p 2. A. picture machine of the class described comprising combination a vertically extending frame member having there- 'upon vertically extending guideways, a carriage having guide members which coiiperi ate with said guideways whereby said carriage can move up and down, a spring tending to maintain the carriage in elevated position, a gripping jaw pivoted at itslower end to said carriage so that the gripping end of the jaw can move toward and from said carriage, said gripping jaw having an upwardly extending extension, and a cam which engages the upperfree end of said extension in a manner to force the gripping jaw toward said carriage and in a manner to also force the carriage downwardly end to said carriage so that the gripping end of the jaw can move toward and from said carriage, said gripping jaw having an upwardly extending extension and a cam which engages the upper free end of said ma am extension in a manner to force the gripping j aw toward said carriage and in a manner to I also force the carriage downwardly against the action of said spring while the jaw is gripping a film between it and the carriage, the material in the jaw member and extension being located so that as the spring to turns the carriage to its upper position the free end of the gripping jaw will be auto matically moved away from the carriage.

This specification signed and witnessed this 13th day of March, A. D. 1916.

LUTHER E. TAYLOR.

Signed in the presence of- EDWIN A. PACKARD, G. MCGRANN. 

